Faulty latch suspected in fatal van crash

Michael Dougan, OF THE EXAMINER STAFF

Published 4:00 am, Friday, October 27, 1995

A defective rear-door latch that allegedly makes some Chrysler minivans unsafe for rear seat passengers may be at blame in the death Wednesday of a 13-year-old boy in Rodeo, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The CHP will investigate whether defects in a 1988 Dodge Caravan contributed to the death of Chris Edwards, who was partially ejected through the rear door of the vehicle when it was struck broadside by a pickup truck on a remote stretch of Cummings Skyway, said Officer Cliff Kroeger, spokesman for the CHP's Contra Costa County office.

Kroeger said the accident occurred when the driver, Selma Jew of Rodeo, attempted to make a U-turn on the undivided two-lane highway. Her car was struck by a truck driven at 55 miles per hour by William Russell, 47, of Jamestown.

The rear seat of Jew's van "tore loose as a result of the impact, causing her son, Chris, to be partially ejected out . . . when the back door opened," said Kroeger. He said the driver's seat was pushed into the rear of the van.

Jew was listed Friday in good condition at John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek. Her son was listed in fair condition. Russell suffered only minor injuries, said Kroeger.

On the same day as the accident, the federal government released videotapes showing a child-sized, crash-test dummy flying out the open rear door of a Chrysler minivan in an impact. The tapes were made as part of a two-year investigation into minivan liftgate latches, which began after two children were thrown from a Chrysler Town & Country van in 1993.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said that since that crash 134 people have been ejected from the vans in crashes.

But the government agreed in March not to formally recall the vehicles, from model years 1984-94, when Chrysler offered to undertake a $115 million program to replace the latches for free. Chrysler has insisted, though, that its minivans are among the safest on the market.

Kroeger said initial investigations into the Rodeo accident were aimed at determining if either of the drivers were negligent. He said no citations have been issued so far.

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On Monday, a CHP team from Vallejo will begin a follow-up investigation on the vehicle itself," he said.

A Chrysler spokesman could not be reached for comment.&lt;

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